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Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite
Fifteen-year-old Crystal O'Mally loves to read mysteries and longs to solve a mystery just like Carolyn Keene, the main character in her favorite mystery series. While she hangs out at the police station in Alamo, Texas, hoping for a crime to solve, nothing ever happens; that is until the day the famous Alamo diamond is stolen. What makes it worse is Crystal's father is the local jeweler and he had the diamond in his shop for a cleaning when it was stolen. The local police want to blame it on vandalism and try to pin it on three teens, but the clues that Crystal finds point to something more sinister going on. While Crystal wants to solve the case alone, her eight-year-old sister, Emma, and a boy from school are determined to help. Will the three be able to solve the case of the missing diamond before something worse happens? Read The Diamond Caper: The Crystal O'Mally Mystery Series Volume 1 by Leah Pugh and find out!
The Diamond Caper provides a fast paced, not so easy to solve mystery. Smoothly written with plenty of clues and more than a few suspects, the twists and turns the author provided kept me guessing as to who the guilty culprit might be. Geared to young adults, the tightly woven mystery and interesting characters will allow this book to actually appeal to young and old alike. It really reminded me of reading Nancy Drew when I was a teen. Crystal O'Mally is a wonderful lead character; she is a bit stubborn at times, but she also has a kind heart. Determined to go it alone, it seems that things aren't going to work out that way. Eight-year-old Emma was often funny, quite cute, and not so bad at gathering clues. The relationship with Minx was a tough one which kept me guessing as to where it was going. I loved the way Ms. Pugh blended faith and family so strongly in this story; it really was refreshing to see just how close the O'Mally family were. I loved the mystery, but it was the positive messages that the author blends into the story that made this a stand-out read. Anyone who loves a fast-paced, page-turning mystery where it isn't easy to figure out who-dun-it will find this book a must-read. On a scale of one to five, this book easily scores a six because it's just that good!
